20080301832059I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA23250 · Fort Pierce, FL · March 1, 2008

Date: March 1, 2008 · 18:47 local
Place: Fort Pierce, FL
Airport: St Lucie County International
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N661SC
Reported as: Piper PA23250
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 10,000 total10 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) On a routine fight from ft Pierce via vero beach for fuel and back under VFR conditions, during landing roll out on runway 9 the aircraft encountered a rapid drop in the nose of the aircraft. The PIC initially thought he had a flat tire, whereas his nose gear failed and collapsed. The PIC verified three green lights prior to landing. The aircraft sustained nose gear door and associated area damage, radome and the under nose skin completely chafed through, and both propellers struck the ground. Upon assistance from airport personnel to recover the aircraft and move it from the active runway the right gear then collapsed causing further damage to other surfaces of the aircraft. The aircraft sustained damage to the right gear and associated area, the right flap and aileron, and the tail cone was impaled by an obstacle attached to the vehicle being used to tow the aircraft from the runway.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON A ROUTINE FIGHT FROM FT PIERCE VIA VERO BEACH FOR FUEL AND BACK UNDER VFR CONDITIONS, DURING LANDING ROLL OUT ON RUNWAY 9 THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A RAPID DROP IN THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PIC INITIALLY THOUGHT HE HAD A FLAT TIRE, WHEREAS HIS NOSE GEAR FAILED AND COLLAPSED. THE PIC VERIFIED THREE GREEN LIGHTS PRIOR TO LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED NOSE GEAR DOOR AND ASSOCIATED AREA DAMAGE, RADOME AND THE UNDER NOSE SKIN COMPLETELY CHAFED THROUGH, AND BOTH PROPELLERS STRUCK THE GROUND. UPON ASSISTANCE FROM AIRPORT PERSONNEL TO RECOVER THE AIRCRAFT AND MOVE IT FROM THE ACTIVE RUNWAY THE RIGHT GEAR THEN COLLAPSED CAUSING FURTHER DAMAGE TO OTHER SURFACES OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT GEAR AND ASSOCIATED AREA, THE RIGHT FLAP AND AILERON, AND THE TAIL CONE WAS IMPALED BY AN OBSTACLE ATTACHED TO THE VEHICLE BEING USED TO TOW THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE RUNWAY.